Milwaukee and Youngstown State Repeat as #HLTF Champions

By Shannon Watson
HorizonLeague.com

Final Results

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The Milwaukee Panthers won the 2015 Men’s Horizon League Indoor Track and Field Championships and the Youngstown State Penguins won the Women’s Horizon League Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Milwaukee slipped by Youngstown State in the final event of the men’s competition to earn a total of 161 points. Milwaukee has won ten of the last 11 championships. YSU took second place (154) and UIC took third (61).

Youngstown State held on for a 1 point victory to beat Milwaukee 131 to 130 in the women’s division. Oakland came in third (90).

Nate Pozolinski of Milwaukee became the heptathlon champion after earning a total of 4,633 points and winning four of the seven events. Valparaiso’s Elijah Owen came in second with 4,413 points.

For women’s high jump, Mackenzie Sturtz of Youngstown State took top honors for a second year with a jump of 1.68m.  Milwaukee’s Trevor James had a jump of 2.11m to become men’s high jump champion.

Gino Vitella of Oakland won the men’s shot put with a throw of 17.28m. On the women’s side, Jennifer Neider of Youngstown State repeated as champion with a distance of 13.78m.

Sherice Hewett of Milwaukee defended her title in triple jump and broke the Horizon League record with a leap of 12.76m. For the men, Milwaukee’s Aaron Dillon jumped for a distance of 14.59 for the win.

Detroit’s Louisa Coppola earned her second Horizon League title in the mile run with a time of 4:55.52. Austin McLean of Youngstown State won the mile in 4:11.16 for the men’s division.

Milwaukee took the top two spots for the men’s 60m hurdles. Jordan Schmit won with a time of 8.11, and teammate Nate Pozolinski was a close second with a difference of four-thousandths of a second. Oakland’s Serena SanCartier was the winner of the women’s 60m hurdles for a second year in a row after finishing in 8.66 seconds.

Both winners from last year’s 400m dash defended their titles again this year to earn the top spot. Jen Shiley of Youngstown State finished in 56.16 and Milwaukee’s Marquis Johnson had a time of 47.11.

Youngstown State swept both honors for the 60m dash. Nina Grambling won it for the women with a time of 7.46. For the men, Carl Zallow finished in 6.89 and was followed by fellow Penguins Marcellus Embry and Jaylon Brown in second and third respectively.

David Koponen of Oakland had a time of 1:52.85 to take home first place in the men’s 800m run. Milwaukee’s Dana Clausen won the event for the women after finishing in 2:14.71.

Grambling and Zallow of Youngstown State both won their second event of the day in the 200m dash. Grambling finished in 24.43 for the women and on the men’s side, Zallow won with a time of 21.74.

In the 3000m run, Sammy Mondry of Oakland took first place with 10:09.11 and fellow Grizzly Ashley Burr came in second for the women. In the men’s race, McLean won his second event of the day with a time of 8:19.98 and YSU teammate Eric Rupe took second place.

With the 4x400 relay race to conclude the day, Milwaukee got the sweep of both men’s and women’s races. The team of Anuli Okonkwo, Dana Clausen, Michelle Garner, and Kate Novacek had a winning time of 3:48.88. For the men, Jordan Schmidt, Davontae Johnson, Kyle Becker, and Marquis Johnson won with the time of 3:17.86.

The Horizon League Outdoor Track and Field Championships will take place May 1-3 in Rochester, Michigan, hosted by Oakland University.

Men’s Team Standings:
Milwaukee 161
Youngstown State 154
UIC 61
Valparaiso 59
Oakland 58
Detroit 34

Women’s Team Standings:
Youngstown State 131
Milwaukee 130
Oakland 90
Detroit 62
Wright State 46
UIC 34
Valparaiso 34

For a full awards release, visit HorizonLeague.com on Monday, March 2.

Horizon League Athlete of the Year: Austin McLean, Youngstown State
Horizon League Men's Track Freshman of the Year:  Carl Zallow, Youngstown State
Horizon League Men's Field Freshman of the Year: Ryan Booth, Youngstown State
Horizon League Most Outstanding Performer (Men's Track): Marquis Johnson, Milwaukee
Horizon League Most Outstanding Performer (Men's Field): Connor Neu, Youngstown State; Nate Pozolinski, Milwaukee
Horizon League Individual Scoring Award (Men):  Austin McLean, Youngstown State; Nate Pozolinski, Milwaukee
Horizon League Men's Coach of the Year: Pete Corfeld, Milwaukee

Horizon League Athlete of the Year: Nina Grambling, Youngstown State
Horizon League Women's Track Freshman of the Year:  Taylor McDonald, Youngstown State
Horizon League Women's Field Freshman of the Year:  Alisha Harper, Milwaukee
Horizon League Most Outstanding Performer (Women's Track):  Nina Grambling, Youngstown State
Horizon League Most Outstanding Performer (Women's Field):  Sherice Hewett, Milwaukee
Horizon League Individual Scoring Award (Women):  Nina Grambling, Youngstown State
Horizon League Women's Coach of the Year: Brian Gorby, Youngstown State